Namgyal Lhamo is a singer, songwriter and actress. Namgyal Lhamo originally hails from Shigatse in Tibet. Winner of the Best Female Singer award at the 2007 Tibetan music awards, Namgyal Lhamo took to singing at a very young age and was chosen to be trained at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India established by the Dalai Lama, to preserve the cultural identity of Tibetans by keeping alive their artistic traditions and by sharing them with the world.
She studied with the most important Tibetan music teachers of post war Tibet. In this way she stepped into the tradition of the various kinds of classical and folk music of her country. Her Nangma and Toeshe interpretations of classical Tibetan songs from the 17th century are renowned among Tibetans worldwide. Impressive also are her Lu interpretations – nomadic sounds from Amdo and Kham. Beside that Namgyal Lhamo plays various traditional instruments, such as the dranyen (Tibetan lute) and the gyumang (Tibetan celeste).
Her singing is an eclectic mix of science and soul with layers, tones and textures that define the form of a particular song. Lhamo’s training and discipline through concerts and performances throughout the world over the years has given rise to an exclusive sound that emits multi layering within her songs that create a rich ambience that is reflective of their highland origin.
Namgyal Lhamo is based in the Netherlands and continues to tour worldwide.
Discography:
Voices from Tibet, with Gang Chenpa (Music & Words, 2000)
Songs from Tibet (Music & Words, 2005)
Pure (Silk Road, 2007)
The Enchanted Land (Silk Road, 2007)
An Anthology of Tibetan Songs (Music & Words, 2014)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
